5 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups to Target (2026)

The fantasy baseball waiver wire never stays quiet for long, and this latest group of names features a mix of upside arms, post-hype bats, and deep-league streamers. There are several players fantasy managers should be tracking closely heading into the weekend.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest fantasy takeaways from the latest podcast discussion.

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP – ARI)

Eduardo Rodriguez continues to be one of the more frustrating veteran pitchers in fantasy baseball. The underlying talent still flashes at times, but the consistency has not been there for most of the season.

For fantasy managers, Rodriguez falls into an awkward middle ground. He still has enough strikeout ability and workload security to matter in deeper leagues, especially formats that reward innings. At the same time, the ratios remain volatile enough that he is difficult to trust against strong offenses.

Arizona has continued giving him regular turns in the rotation, so there is volume appeal here. The bigger question is whether the command stabilizes enough to make him more than a matchup-dependent streamer.

In 12-team leagues, Rodriguez profiles more as a situational play than an automatic roster hold. Managers chasing wins and strikeouts can still justify the investment, but expectations should remain modest until the results stabilize.

J.J. Bleday (LF – CIN)

J.J. Bleday gets another opportunity after landing with Cincinnati, and the change in environment alone makes him interesting for fantasy purposes.

Great American Ball Park can revive power production quickly, especially for left-handed hitters capable of lifting the ball consistently. Bleday has always possessed raw power, but translating it into reliable fantasy value has been the challenge throughout his career.

The Reds appear willing to give him meaningful opportunities, which matters in deeper formats. Playing time is often half the battle with post-hype hitters.

Fantasy managers should not overreact immediately, though. Bleday still carries plenty of batting average risk, and prolonged cold stretches remain part of the profile. In OBP leagues, there is slightly more appeal because of his patient approach.

For now, he fits best as a speculative add in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats where power upside is difficult to find on waivers.

Zack Gelof (2B – ATH)

Zack Gelof has quietly started looking like a legitimate fantasy rebound candidate.

After an ugly stretch that pushed many managers to cut bait, there are signs the underlying production may finally be trending upward. The combination of power and speed still gives Gelof one of the more intriguing fantasy profiles among middle infield waiver options.

The biggest issue has been contact consistency. When Gelof falls into extended swing-and-miss stretches, the batting average becomes difficult to stomach. But if the approach stabilizes even slightly, the fantasy ceiling rises quickly because of the category juice.

Athletics hitters rarely receive much national attention, but Gelof still has the skill set to contribute across multiple categories in roto leagues.

This may be one of the final buy-low windows before the broader fantasy market catches back up.

Janson Junk (SP – MIA)

Janson Junk enters the streaming conversation mostly because of opportunity and environment.

Miami has consistently helped pitchers maximize fantasy value, and Junk has shown enough command to work as a matchup-based option in deeper formats. The strikeout upside is not overwhelming, so fantasy managers should view him more as an innings stabilizer than a breakout arm.

In leagues that reward quality starts or simply require pitching depth, there is some utility here. Managers in 15-team formats especially should keep an eye on favorable matchups at pitcher-friendly parks.

The margin for error remains thin, however. Junk is not someone fantasy managers should force onto rosters without a clear streaming plan.

Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH)

Cade Cavalli remains one of the more fascinating stash candidates for dynasty and deeper redraft formats.

The talent has never been the question. Cavalli possesses the fastball and secondary pitches needed to miss bats at the major league level. The challenge has simply been health and development continuity after significant injury setbacks.

Washington appears committed to giving him opportunities once fully ready, and fantasy managers should remember how highly regarded Cavalli was before the injuries interrupted his trajectory.

There may be some inconsistency initially as he reacclimates to major league hitters, but the upside is still worth monitoring closely.

In dynasty leagues, he remains an obvious hold. In deeper redraft leagues, he is becoming increasingly viable as a speculative stash for managers looking ahead to the second half.

Fantasy Baseball Takeaways

Zack Gelof remains a worthwhile buy-low candidate because of his rare power-speed upside at second base.
J.J. Bleday gains fantasy intrigue thanks to Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly environment and possible playing time boost.
Eduardo Rodriguez is best treated as a matchup-based streaming option until the ratios improve.
Janson Junk fits deeper-league streaming builds but lacks major strikeout upside.
Cade Cavalli is still a strong dynasty hold and a worthwhile speculative add in deeper redraft leagues.